Can-opener.



30. CUTLEHY,

H. G. HILL.

CAN OPENER.

APPLICATION HLED 00T.12,1909.

30. CUTLERY,

H. G. HILL.

GAN OPENER.

APPLICATION FILED 00T. 12,419.09` 970,331 Patented Sept. 13, 1910.

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30. CUTLERY,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HORACE G. HILL, OF YOUNGS, MISSISSIPPI.

CAN-OPENER.

Application filed October 12, 1909.

T o all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, HORACE G. HILL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Youngs, in the county of Grenada, State of lVIississippi, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gan-Openers; and I (lo hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to can openers.

The object of the invention is the production of a device of the character named in which the cutting element thereof may be readily and easily adjusted for operation upon cans of various sizes and shapes and in further providing the device with means for maintaining the can rigidly during the cutting operation and thus provide against spilling the content-s thereof.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described, shown in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes in the form, proportions, size, and minor details may be made within the scope of the claims, without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In describing the invention in detail reference will be had to the accompanying drawings wherein like characters of reference denote corresponding parts in the several views, and in which,

Figure l is an elevation of a can o-pener constructed in accordance wit-h the invention; Fig. 2, a top plan view thereof; Fig. 3, a view similar to Fig. 1 with certain portions being shown in section; and Fig. 4, a top plan view showing the device durlng the operation of opening a can.

In the drawings the body or can supporting portion of the device is shown as formed of the parallel spaced uprights 5, 6, 7 and 8 which have their bases disposed horizontally to form supporting feet 9, 10, 11 and 12 respectively. Said uprights are connected together at their upper ends by an annular band 13, while another-annular band 14 also connects said uprights intermediate their ends and forms a support for the ooring 15 which constitutes a seat for the can when being operated upon. The upright 5 has a Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 13, 1910.

Serial No. 522,270.

rack 5 formed on its outer face and serves to adjustably support the standard 16.

The lower end of the standard 16 is enlarged and provided with communicating horizontal and vertical apertures; said vertical apertures serving to receive upright 5 and permit the adjustment of the standard 16 thereon while the horizontal aperture is adapted to receive a screw 17 so as to effect an engagement between said screw and the rack 5 of the standard 5 whereby the rota tion of the screw in one direction will elovate the standard 16 and rotation in the other direction will lower said standard.

The upper end of the standard 16 is bifurcated to form the parallel spaced ears 18 and 19 between which is pivoted one end of the arm 2O which carries the cutting elements of the device. The outer end of said arm 2O terminates in the handle 21, and journaled in said arm intermediate its ends is a vertically disposed shaft 22 which has its lower end extended and terminates in a point 23 provided with the barbs 24 and 25. Between the point 23 and the arm 20 a rack bar 26 is rigidly mounted on the shaft 22 for simultaneous rotation therewith. Mounted for movement on said rack bar 26 is a sleeve 27 which is provided with a pair of depending ears 28 and 29 between which is journaled a screw 30 adapted to engage with the rack bar 26 so that a rotation of said screw in one direction will move the sleeve away from the shaft 22, while a rotation of the screw in the opposite direction will move the sleeve to-ward said shaft. The ear 29 of said sleeve has detachably secured thereto in any suitable manner the cutting knife 31 so that an adjustment of said sleeve on the rack bar 26 will produce a corresponding adjustment of said cutting knife. The lower face of the pivoted arm 2O is also provided with a rack 32 and a sleeve 33 is mounted for adjustment on said arm toward and away from the shaft 22. Said sleeve is likewise provided with the spaced ears 34 and 35 between which is journaled a screw 86 adapted for engagement with the rack 32 so that the rotation of said screw will effect the desired adjustment of said sleeve. The ear 34 is extended inwardly toward the shaft 22 to form a presserfoot 37 which is adapted to bear against the top of `Jthe can when the same is being operated upon to hold the same rigid and thus facilitate the operation of opening.

The operation of the device just described it is believed will be obvious, it being only necessary to place a can between the uprights 5, 6, 7 and S so that it will be seated upon the base l and then adjust the standard 1G by a rotation of the screw 17 to a desired height. When this adjustment is completed the handle 2l of the arm 20 is then grasped and moved to the position shown in Fig. 1. At the termination of this movement of the arm the point 23 and the barbs 24k and 25 will penetrate the cover of the can and be disposed on the interior thereof. At the same time the cutting knife 3l will also penetrate the cover while the 'presserfoot 37 will bear firmly against the can and hold it against slipping as the handle 38 is rotated. Said rotation of the handle 38 will also effect a rotation of the outting knife 3l and thus cut a circular open' ing in the top of the can. As the barbs 24 and are disposed on the Linder side of the cutsout portion it will be obvious that the raising of the arm 20 on its pivot after the cutting operation will also lift the detaehed portion of the' can; the removal of which from the point 23 may be then acoo1n plished manually,

lWhat is claimed is l. In a can opener, the combination with a base forming a can seat, of a bar fixed to said base and having threads formed thereon, a standard provided with an enlarged portion forming a sleeve in which said rack bar is adapted to travel and having a recess therein communicating with the bore of said sleeve, a screw journaled in said recess and in operative engagement with the threads of said bar whereby the rotation of said screw will adjust said standard with respect to the bar, an arm pivoted to said standard,

a shaft journaled in said arm, means for rotating said shaft, and a cutting element carried by said shaft.

2. In a can opener, the combination with a base forming a can seat, an adjustable standard mounted on said base, an arm pivoted to said standard, a shaft journaled in said arm, means for rotating said shaft; a

bar radially mounted in said shaft and having threads formed thereon, a sleeve carried by said bar and adapted for movement thereon, a pair of ears formed on said sleeve, a screw journaled between said ears and in operative engagement with the threads of said bar whereby the rotation of said screw will adjust said sleeve with respect to the bar; and a cutting element carried by said sleeve.

3. In a can opener, the combination with a base forming a can seat, of a standard mounted on said base, an arm pivoted to said standard, a cutting element carried by the arm' and a plate adjustably mounted in said arm and adapted to bear against the can when said cutting element is disposed in operative position.

1.1. In a can opener, the combination with a base forming a can seat, of astandard mounted on said base, an arm pivoted to said standard and having a portion of its face provided with a series of rack teeth, a sleeve carried by said arm and adapted for movement thereon, a pair of ears formed on said sleeve, a screw journaled between said ears and in operative engagement with the rack of said arm whereby the rotation of said screw will adjust said sleeve with respect to said arm, a outting- .mechanism mounted on the arm, and a plate carried by said sleeve and adapted to bear against the can when said outtin mechanism is disposed in operative posltion.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

HORACE Gr. HILL.

Witnesses:

L. A. CLARK, M. A. CLARK. 

